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Tightly he gripped the small mirror close to his chest, to his quivering heart, as if he would die if he were to let it go. Out of the waters, relatively far from the civilization he was a part of. Despite how far he had gone, they were still following him. Dark gaze remains dead set on the sunset-colored grass further away. Never had he seen such a scenery in the depths of his so-called home, deprived of sun and heat.
Who knew their legs could take them as far as his could? He was wondering as he took a small glance back at his followers. It wasn’t as if he had trained any more than the others, but he truly had hoped his youth would take him a little farther. Cursing his own luck his scaled feet tripped and he fell to a much harsher ground than usual, losing sight of the sun and the warmth that came with it. He crawled as much as he could, dragging his unaccustomed feet before being backed into a red corner by his kind, who seemed to have a good grasp on the concept of walking on the surface. It was frustrating, but he could not push the wall away. These were the walls that the upper dwellers used to divide each other, he realized. Not rocks, barriers, or any of those aquatic materials. To him, it seemed like an unforgiving but used up structure.
“You know what to do, Asahi. Return the mirror. None of us can control it, especially not you. Don’t you recall what happened to your sister due to it?”
To the words, he groaned, eyes twisting in rage at the thought. Did they believe him to be stupid? Worse yet, how dare they mention his sister so nonchalantly? She wasn’t even really his sister to begin with, but that wasn’t the point. He held the mirror tighter to his chest. This was his ticket to the outside, the answer to all his woes. He’d finally have somewhere to turn to, someone to devote to. With the mirror in hand, he could fulfill his dreams. Anger remained as he stared down at those in front of him. Back solid against the wall, there was not much he could do but grip to the mirror until the end. After this, he was sure punishment would come, so better fight than succumb.
And in that grip was hope, even if it was twisted. And in that hope, there came an answer to both recipient and savior. As if summoned by the heavens, a man descended from one of the nearby mountains to the center of the situation. Long, messy hair flowing, eyes drenched in what seemed to be dim honey or maybe a lost emerald in the rough, a sword pointing at Asahi’s current enemies, he stared down. Defensive and ready he was to protect this random stranger because, somehow, something inside of him convinced him he should.
“I know not of the circumstances leading to this outcome, but… Ganging up on one like this should always be frowned upon. I will not stand by a cowardly act as this, not when he looks as defenseless as he does.” The man spoke. His poise was that of a samurai and one of high position, to top it off. The under dwellers knew immediately after hearing him speak.
““It’s the Prince of Doma…!”” they commented almost in unison, not at all joyful for his presence. Their gazes lifted from the Prince to the one sitting on the floor. Though he seemed just as shocked as they were, the men were sure this could only mean one thing. “Bastard. You befriended a Doman… The prince itself, to top it off.”
The men upholding the stare-off knew enough about their opponent. Famed for being ruthless when it came to protecting the people, his people, Hien Rijin was a skilled samurai and leader of a broken and corrupted Doma. Despite the destruction the own people brought up after adapting to an oppressive “strong thrive over the weak” world, Hien had managed to stop each and every rebellion, each and every attack either with words or actions, none of them weak in any way. They knew better than to mess with him, at the moment.
“You’re lucky we came unprepared, Asahi. But your luck will run out. We won’t let you ruin anything… or yourself.” Was what the men said before scattering away and back to the depths of the ocean. Hien couldn’t help but sigh in relief. He knew for a fact that they weren’t weak, they had other reasons for leaving. But, his train of thought came to an abrupt halt the moment he heard a soft voice address him.
“You… saved me. A complete stranger who could be a threat to you…”
“Oh… Is that how you interpret this?” Hien turns around, voice much more nonchalant than before. His features soften and his sword lowers, though his body language screams that he is still defensive. Asahi couldn’t help but chuckle, he couldn’t really blame him when he himself was also defensively holding onto the mirror on his chest, hoping it could protect him if something went wrong. “To me, you seemed to be a bewildered mermaid being ganged up on by seemingly stronger mermaids. And though I know it is not the place of a Doman to protect or meddle into under dweller affairs, I could not stop myself the moment I dropped from that mountain.”
Asahi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. To have such a shallow reason to protect… and to follow through, to even give him a chance to speak. This man seemed dumb to him, not at all as threatening as the other’s had made him to be. But, wasn’t he the vivid example of one that could appear to be something while being the total opposite? Nodding, he wavered the moment he saw the other extend his free hand towards him.
“That cannot be the only reason why you aided me, right? I know upper dwellers aren’t as kind as you’re trying to portray yourself as.” And the grip to the mirror tightened, prompting the prince to stare at it for a second too long. “Stop! I won’t hand it over to you, either!” Asahi assumed he had found the answer to the reason why he had been helped, and pulled his hands and mirror away from the other’s view. Again, he felt cornered, and he wasn’t enjoying it at all. From shock, his face contorted back to rage.
Hien, on the other hand, having noticed a subtlety of his had triggered even more of a defense, decided to sheathe his sword and kneel to make eye contact with darkened eyes. Upon that more relaxed position, he could see it. The boy harbored such a strange beauty; simple colors to decorate simple skin and simple hairs, it was as if he had been graced with a simplicity that was simply too beautiful for him to pass up. “Beautiful…”
It didn’t work on his favor; his whisper was loud enough for the mermaid to notice and quickly his face changed back to shock with a dose of pink. “Are you trying for me to lower my defenses with strange comments? Because, if so, you are failing. I will not hand over the mirror.” He reiterates, though he is wondering, his mind drifting to the comment over and over. Always, it was his sister receiving the praises, the kind words – even if they came with violent results – she was the luckier of the two, even in death. Even after all her own merciless actions and the recklessness that lead to her own demise, she had been praised as a tragic girl who was only misunderstood. Him, though? A monster, though they both experienced the same. He always wondered why, though that would be shoved aside with more attempts to please others.
He hadn’t noticed how jealous he really was, how he craved for even the smallest of praises, until this man had complimented him… and he had enjoyed it, even if it lasted seconds. The way he looked at him while saying it, so genuine and warm, it meant the world. It was ironic that he would have found what he was looking for with a stranger, never with those that knew him his whole life. No wonder! No wonder his sister felt so enabled. Who wouldn’t want to be praised like this every single day? “Say it again?” he whispered, an unluckily loud whisper.
"Oh? Mermaids do not get complimented often?" a curious but somewhat amused Hien had to ask.
"No...” a long pause. “Not mermaids like me, at least."
"Ah, that is a shame. You're the best kind of mermaid to compliment. There is a lot I could say about just your appearance and voice! But— that's kind of strange, isn't it? I'll leave it at that.” A chuckle which came with yet more words from the Prince to the mermaid’s surprise. “Why don't you come with me to the castle. I'll give you some shelter to make up for my ramblings.”
“What? Are you mad?” Asahi asked, his shock only increasing with every word. For sure, that Prince was very naïve. How could he keep such a rebellious nation like Doma at bay? Asahi gulped, could he really refuse? He had nowhere to go and being at the mercy of the Domans didn’t sound plausible to him. If this man who had saved him was offering him shelter and looked disinterested in the mirror itself then maybe… just maybe he could be safe. “Only if you promise not to get close to the mirror.”
The nod came easy to Hien, he almost didn’t have to think about it. Extending his hand once again, the prince seals the deal. “Consider it done, mister mermaid.”
“Asahi.” The mermaid mentions, accepting the hand and lifting himself up. Hien, noticing the Doman stylization of the name, smiles gently.
“Hien Rijin, Prince of Doma and your escort on this new adventure of yours.” As quickly as he gets the other up, he walks from the wall onward to the sunset, to the castle in the distance.
“Wha- I never agreed to-” he was slow to react, staggering as he tries to catch up on the man.
“Come, come! The castle is not far!” He turns his face at the mermaid, sundown glimmering on his face, as if willingly decorating the smile. Regal as ever, the prince lead the way, his reflection on the mirror, on the eyes of the mermaid that followed, uncertain, with a fluttering heart.